This invention relates to an electronic shopping cart handle, and in particular to a unitary, shopping cart handle and informational display that is ergonomically designed for ease of use. This shopping cart handle relates to the invention described in the Patent Application entitled, Device for Providing Advertising to Shoppers, Ser. No. 608,167, filed, Nov. 1, 1990. In that application, a shopping cart handle was described having an integral electronic display with different embodiments of input controls, including a keyboard adjacent to or under the display.
Two prior art systems for notifying shoppers of promotional items at the location of the promoted items have been described. In one system, Malec, U.S. Pat. No. 4,973,952 entitled, "SHOPPING CART DISPLAY SYSTEM," a method for point of purchase promotions has been disclosed in which a series of address identified promotional screen graphics are stored in memory. A plurality of triggering units are positioned throughout the marketing area, each strategically located proximate a promotional item. Each triggering unit transmits an address signal to the receiver of a display unit on any mobile shopping cart in the area. The address signal is specific to the memory location of the screen graphic for the item promoted at that location. The coded address signal is processed by the display unit to locate the crossreferenced screen graphic corresponding to the promoted item to display the screen graphic in a display screen on the display unit.
The advantage of this system is that only a short address code need be transmitted within the brief window of time available while the shopper is passing the location of the promoted item.
A second system is disclosed in Vela, et al. In its primary embodiment, this system has a similar arrangement of components. The strategically located transmitter units, however, transmit a message signal in a burst mode representing the screen graphic of the promoted item at that location. The burst signal is held in a buffer register and processed by a central processor in the display unit and be displayed on the display screen of the display unit.
The advantage of this system is that the memory of all the display units need not be reprogrammed at once by a central location to change a promotional graphic. Display units on shopping carts not in the area of reception of the reprogramming signal may be missed, for example, when in the parking lot or being serviced. The disadvantage is that the burst signal attempts to convey so much data within such a brief window of time that data may be lost and a display error may result.
The system utilized in this invention is a hybrid system that differs in operation from either of the described systems, but combines certain features of each.
The system of this invention utilizes similar components with the locationally specific transmitting unit transmitting a digitized message signal representing the screen graphic together with other product control signals related to the promoted item such as the universal product identification number, bar code, date or iteration of the promotional graphic, and the identity of the transmitting unit. The transmitted screen graphic signal is compared with a memory file of stored screen graphics and if a match is found, the stored memory graphic or the signal transmitted graphic is displayed. Often, using the standard checksum procedure, the stored memory graphic can be validated and displayed before completion of transmission of the message signal.
If there is no match, the signal transmitted graphic is stored into the memory of the display unit and the signal transmitted graphic is simultaneously displayed on the screen of the display unit. Similarly, if there is a match but the transmitted graphic is an updated version, then the stored memory graphic is dated and replaced with the updated signal transmitted graphic.
The advantage of this system is that each display unit on each shopping cart is updated as it passes within range of the locationally specific transmitting unit. When promotional items are replaced or updated, only the promotional graphic of the specific transmitting unit being updated need be replaced. This system also has the advantage of enabling a shopper to access the memory file of stored screen graphics in his shopping cart display unit and scrolling through the promotional graphics to review the items that may be on sale.
It has been found that shoppers utilizing a shopping cart with an electronic display prefer a device having a minimum number of operating controls. Simplicity of operation is critical for acceptance of an electronic shopping aid operable by the shopper while shopping. The diversity of shoppers confronted with an electronic device of this type requires that use be practical and simple for all. A device that is nimble, easy to operate, and does not interfere with the customary complexities of shopping in a large supermarket is greatly preferred.
Prior devices have been far too complex and have diverted the shopper's attention from the primary activity of shopping. The task of attempting to learn complicated and intimidating computer control procedures is one that is consciously avoided by the general consumer. For example, it is remarkable that although there is a universal acceptance and use of video recorders, only a small percentage of users know how to pre-record television programs. The procedural complexity involved renders this innovative feature an unused curiosity to all but the most determined.
The two features that shoppers find most convenient and desirable in a shopping cart informational aid are the locations of different types of items in the store, and the availability of special sale items. In the referenced application, preferred means of directing the shopper to the location of categories of items, and methods of notifying shoppers of sale items were disclosed. The systems therein described are incorporated herein by reference.
The primary object of this invention is to devise a improved, unitary, shopping cart handle that combines style, utility, and simplicity such that a user achieves an immediate familiarity with the device and its operation. The controls must thereby be intuitive and not intimidating, allowing users to confidently operate the device without instruction. As an added feature to the graphical display, the handle of this invention includes a cue signal to alert the shopper to an advertisement or a sale item being displayed on the central display screen.
In addition to the foregoing design criteria, the electronic shopping cart handle must be operated in a difficult environment that requires the device to be subjected to a great deal of physical abuse. The device is subjected to abusive handling by infants and small children who may be riding in carrier seats in the shopping cart. The device must withstand inadvertent contact with cans, bottles and other hard objects that may strike the handle when placed into the cart by an inattentive shopper. Furthermore, the device must be designed to withstand the outdoor environment when the cart is wheeled from the store to the shopper's car. Finally, the shopping cart handle must be low in initial cost and have little other use, making it an undesirable target of theft. Preferably, the device includes an anti-theft alarm that signals the removal of the handle from the cart or the removal of the cart from a designated area. These and other features must be incorporated into a compact unit that includes a visual display, user controls, and a physical construction that maintains its ordinary function as a push-bar for the shopping cart.